The present invention relates to novel detergent or novel personal product compositions comprising glyceroglycolipids having an ether linkage as surfactants or cosurfactants in the compositions. In particular, the glyceroglycolipid compounds are compounds having 1 to 4 saccharide units.
Natural glycolipids are known in the art and these structures have been elucidated. The term glycolipid refers to any of a class of lipids that, upon hydrolysis, yield a sugar (e.g., galactose or glucose), and a lipid (e.g. substituted glycerol group). One major class of these glycolipids belong to the glycero glycolipids, i.e., a, glycolipid based around a glycerol frame structure. For example, the compound may have a sugar structure at one end of the glycerol structure instead of an --OH group and an ester linkage at one or both of the other --OH groups that would normally be found on glycerol.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,461 to Pomeranz et al., for example, teaches mono- and di-galactosyl glyceride compounds isolated from wheat flour. On one end of the glycerol frame is found a sugar group (i.e., the mono- or di-saccharide group) and the two other OH groups normally found on a glycerol are esterified.
In Kobayashi et al., J. Chem Soc. Perkin., Trans. p. 101-103 (1989), there are again taught mono-and di-galactosyl diacylglycerols similar to chose taught in Pomeranz et al. Again, there is a sugar group on one end and a mono- or diester where the remaining two --OH groups on a glycerol would normally be found.
Other ester functionalized mono- and diacyl galactosylglycerols are taught in Baruah et al., Phytochemistry, 22(8):1741-1744 (1983) and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,589 to Godfretsen et al.
As mentioned above, the above references disclose only ester-functionalized glyceroglycolipids.
Williams et al. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 195(1):145-151 (1979) teach certain alkyl bionamide compounds which are formed by linking aldobionic acids to an alkylamine through an amide bond. The compounds of the invention contain no such amide bond.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,169 to Diehl et al. teaches enzyme containing compositions comprising certain aminated polysaccharides as stabilizing agents for the enzymes. First this reference relates to an amine linkage rather than an ether linkage. Further, it is clear from this reference that the polysaccharides used have at the very least 5 or more saccharide units and preferably, well over 100 (the application notes at column 7, line 50-52, that natural polysaccharides that are smaller than this are rare). Further there is a limitation as to the amount of elemental nitrogen to to the compound and it seems that compounds with fewer saccharide units would not meet this limitation.
A glyceroglycolipid containing an ether linkage (where the --OH group on the glycerol would normally be found) is disclosed in Coulon-Moulec, Bull. Soc. Chem. Biol., 49(7):825-840 (1967) and in Alvarez et al. , J. Lipid Res., 31(6) :1073-1081 (1990) .
These references are concerned, however, only with the synthesis of various lipid glycosides and contains absolutely no teaching or suggestion that glyceroglycolipids having an ether linkage can be used as surfactants or cosurfactants in detergent or personal product compositions.
EP No. 232,851-A (Assigned to National Starch) also appears to teach a glycceroglycolipid with an ether linkage. However, this reference is clearly concerned with compounds used as paper strength additives and neither teaches nor suggests that these compounds may be used as surfactants in detergent or personal product compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,497 teaches a glycoside surfactant for enhancing the antistatic effects of certain quaternary ammonium surfactants. There is absolutely no teaching or suggestion that the surfactant can be used alone or in combination with other surfactants to enhance detergency.
Specifically although Table A at columns 5-6 talks about cleaning performance, there is no teaching of how results were reached or against what it was tested. This is not surprising since the reference is concerned with softening, not detergency and evaluates primary how the surfactant and cosurfactant affect static charge build up.
Finally, because the compounds of the invention are derived from naturally occurring carbohydrates, the use of these compounds can provide a source of renewable raw materials that are synthetically versatile and environmentally friendly.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide novel surfactants and cosurfactants derived from carbohydrates for use in detergent and personal product compositions. More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide compositions comprising these biodegradable surfactants.